CVE-2014-8147

CVE-2014-8147 is a high-severity vulnerability in Icu-project International Components For Unicode with a CVSS 2.0 base score of 7.5. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 23% places it in the 98th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-189.

Key facts

• Severity: High (CVSS 2.0 base score 7.5)
• EPSS exploit prediction: 23% (98th percentile)
• Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
• Weakness: CWE-189
• Affected product: Icu-project International Components For Unicode
• Published: 2015-05-25
• Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The resolveImplicitLevels function in common/ubidi.c in the Unicode Bidirectional Algorithm implementation in ICU4C in International Components for Unicode (ICU) before 55.1 uses an integer data type that is inconsistent with a header file, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (incorrect malloc followed by invalid free) or possibly execute arbitrary code via crafted text.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2014-8147?

The resolveImplicitLevels function in common/ubidi.c in the Unicode Bidirectional Algorithm implementation in ICU4C in International Components for Unicode (ICU) before 55.1 uses an integer data type that is inconsistent with a header file, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (incorrect malloc followed by invalid free) or possibly execute arbitrary code via crafted text.

How severe is CVE-2014-8147?

CVE-2014-8147 has a CVSS 2.0 base score of 7.5, rated high severity.

Is CVE-2014-8147 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 23% (98th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2014-8147?

CVE-2014-8147 primarily affects Icu-project International Components For Unicode. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2014-8147?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2014-8147 published?

CVE-2014-8147 was published on 2015-05-25 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

• http://bugs.icu-project.org/trac/changeset/37080
• http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2015/Sep/msg00005.html
• http://lists.apple.com/archives/security-announce/2015/Sep/msg00008.html
• http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/05/05/6
• http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2015/May/14
• http://www.debian.org/security/2015/dsa-3323
• http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/602540
• http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/bulletinoct2015-2511968.html
• http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/cpuoct2015-2367953.html
• http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/74457
• https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/9317fd092b257a0815434b116a8af8daea6e920b6673f4fd5583d5fe%40%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pedrib/PoC/master/generic/i-c-u-fail.txt
• https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201507-04
• https://support.apple.com/HT205213
• https://support.apple.com/HT205267
• https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpuapr2019-5072813.html

Affected products (3)

• cpe:2.3:o:apple:mac_os_x:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:o:apple:watchos:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
• cpe:2.3:a:icu-project:international_components_for_unicode:*:*:*:*:*:c\/c\+\+:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Icu-project International Components For Unicode

• CVE-2015-5922 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Unspecified vulnerability in International Components for Unicode (ICU) before 53.1.0, as used in Apple OS X before…
• CVE-2018-18928 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): International Components for Unicode (ICU) for C/C++ 63.1 has an integer overflow in…
• CVE-2017-17484 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The ucnv_UTF8FromUTF8 function in ucnv_u8.cpp in International Components for Unicode (ICU) for C/C++ through 60.1…
• CVE-2017-14952 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Double free in i18n/zonemeta.cpp in International Components for Unicode (ICU) for C/C++ through 59.1 allows remote…
• CVE-2014-9654 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The Regular Expressions package in International Components for Unicode (ICU) for C/C++ before 2014-12-03, as used in…
• CVE-2014-9911 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Stack-based buffer overflow in the ures_getByKeyWithFallback function in common/uresbund.cpp in International…

All CVEs affecting Icu-project International Components For Unicode →

Other CWE-189 (Numeric Errors) vulnerabilities

• CVE-2015-8396 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Integer overflow in the ImageRegionReader::ReadIntoBuffer function in…
• CVE-2015-7205 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Integer underflow in the RTPReceiverVideo::ParseRtpPacket function in Mozilla Firefox before 43.0 and Firefox ESR 38.x…
• CVE-2015-6575 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): SampleTable.cpp in libstagefright in Android before 5.1.1 LMY48I does not properly consider integer promotion, which…
• CVE-2015-3864 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Integer underflow in the MPEG4Extractor::parseChunk function in MPEG4Extractor.cpp in libstagefright in mediaserver in…
• CVE-2015-3836 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The Parse_wave function in arm-wt-22k/lib_src/eas_mdls.c in the Sonivox DLS-to-EAS converter in Android before 5.1.1…
• CVE-2015-3834 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Multiple integer overflows in the BnHDCP::onTransact function in media/libmedia/IHDCP.cpp in libstagefright in Android…

Browse all CWE-189 (Numeric Errors) vulnerabilities →